It was June 24, 2014. Local powerhouse Sheikh Jamal were playing against a bottom-ranked side in Feni Soccer Club. There were only 42 spectators in the western gallery but they were paying little attention to the game. One exception though was an old man on the brink of being a septuagenarian, clad in the traditional black and white jersey of Mohammedan. He was the oldest of the lot but the most cheerful as well.
On his right wrist he was wearing an Argentina wristband and a Brazil one on his left wrist. There was also an Argentina headband on top of a Brazil one on his forehead which was slightly covered by a red and green cap over his head. The Mohammedan jersey had his name on the back. He was wearing a Bangladesh flag on his chest. The surroundings were very familiar to him. He has been there since most of the spectators were not even born.
Ataur Rahman, usually referred to as Ata bhai inside the stadium, will be 70 next month and has been following Dhaka football for more than 50 years and is still going strong. He is a die-hard Mohammedan faithful but his identity is more than that of a passionate fan. He rarely misses any domestic football game, no matter whether it involves Mohammedan or an unglamourous tie between two relegation battling sides, say, for instance - Uttar Baridhara v Chittagong Abahani. He is there with two flags in his hand - one of Mohammedan and the other is that of Bangladesh.
Once in every four years, the World Cup ushers in memories of his past, his family and his passion for football, of which, he cannot clearly remember all due to his old age. He is not a fan of Brazil or Argentina but he wore their colors to keep his nearest ones close. His wife was a fan of Argentina and passed away 11 years ago, a few months after the 2002 World Cup and his only daughter supports Brazil and is happily leading her own life after marriage.
Like every top-flight game at the stadium, Ataur is also following this World Cup closely on television. He is amazed by the performance of Chile, Costa Rica and Ghana and believes in the power of Dutch football this time around. “Chile are playing beautiful football and the players are giving their best on the pitch playing as a proper team. Costa Rica and Ghana also impressed me but the Netherlands look most threatening in this World Cup,” said Ataur at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Monday.
Despite backing the Dutch, Ataur still thinks either Brazil or Argentina will eventually clinch the crown but among the South American giants, he wants Argentina to win. Why, of course, for the memory of his deceased wife.
Courtesy Bangladesh Football Federation president Kazi Salahuddin, Ataur managed one ticket to watch Argentina against Nigeria in action at the Bangabandhu National Stadium three years ago. He saw Lionel Messi in flesh. He, however, put Portuguese goalmachine Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Messi as his favourite player and both Neymar and Messi are tied for second place. But, for now, he wants Messi to lift the title because of his wife.
The glory days of football in Bangladesh seem long gone and what still remains in the heart of football lovers are the ashes of the memories of the late 1970s or 80s. Talks and questions surrounding the loyalty of football fans in world football is often discussed and in this regard, Bangladesh were never a formidable force.
The reason is understandable. The Bangabandhu National Stadium is rarely found to be half-packed in any domestic football game. Not even the high-voltage derby between archrivals Abahani and Mohammedan can pull crowds like the yesteryears. Even then there are a few football devotees like Ataur who still come to the stadium regularly.
Ataur believes match-fixing is very common here which, in his words, is destroying Bangladesh football. He urges the federation to organise international matches and keep alive the game of football in the country that has long lost its glory days.
